HUNTINGTON - Relatives and friends of the nine men who died in the
Crandall Canyon coal mine last year were awed on Sunday by a new memorial dedicated to the workers.
The memorial was unveiled at approximately 6:00 p.m. in Huntington, along Highway 31, as hundreds of onlookers applauded and gasped at the likenesses of the miners that are carved into the cast iron masterpiece. Family members, friends and town residents gathered to remember the men more than a year after they were seen for the last time.
The memorial is perched right along the side of Highway 31, making it easily accessible to the public. A different memorial already lies up at the coal mine site, but requires a bit of effort to reach.
The six men who died following the initial collapse on Aug. 6, 2007 -- Don Erickson, Kerry Allred, Brandon Phillips, Carlos Payan, Manuel Sanchez and Luis Hernandez -- are placed on the left side of the memorial, facing their rescuers. (
Photos)
The memorial faces to the south, so that the sun will always rest on the men's likenesses. When family members got a chance to touch the face of their lost miner, all of the emotion and pain stemming from the disaster was still evident by their reactions.
"It looks so much like my uncle Dale... amazing," said the niece of fallen rescue worker Dale Black, who stands on the right side of the memorial with his two colleagues -- Gary Jensen and Brandon Kimber, who died in a second collapse.
"To look into those eyes... you just remember everything," said Tammy Erickson, niece of coal miner Don Erickson.
The inscription, "Heroes Among Us," lies at the memorial's center -- taken from a remark by Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. last summer during the rescue efforts.
"With the unveiling of this masterpiece, it's time to celebrate these good lives," said Gov. Huntsman, who attended Sunday's dedication. "Let us remember this spot as an oasis of tranquility."
The sculpture is the work of artist Karen Jo Templeton, who intended the memorial to be a place families and friends can go to remember their loved ones -- and actually reach out and touch them.
MORE:
Slideshow:
New memorial dedicated to Crandall Canyon minersPage:
ABC 4 coverage of Crandall Canyon mine disasterStory:
New memorial for mine disaster victims opens Sunday (Sept. 12 '08)
